Learn how to configure email node, design emails, set up custom domains, and more.
How to use variables with the Outbound email node
Variables let you decouple conditional or template logic from your email design—without writing script or jumping into the builder.
Define variables like links, button text, or conditional content in outbound email nodes. Manage dynamic logic through a no-code interface, and reference variables anywhere in your email—whether you’re using the drag-and-drop builder or working in HTML mode.
Variable types
The Variables tab in each outbound email node lets you define and manage variables with three behaviour types:
- Set value: Create a variable with a fixed or merged value—e.g. static links, default CTAs, or content built from merge fields.
- True or false: Outputs a value based on conditions. Build conditional logic using field presence, value checks, or and/or rules. Use for toggling disclaimers, greetings, or switching between content versions.
- Lookup: Map field values (like region, campaign, or customer type) to different outputs. Ideal for dynamic branding, regional content, or segmented legal footers.
Example variables
- BrandAsset: Uses the correct logo or brand image for each recipient.
- ActionButtonText: Changes the main CTA between “Buy now”, “Register”, or “Learn more”.
- LegalFooter: Shows region or campaign-specific legal copy.
- PersonalisedLink: Builds a unique URL for each recipient, such as tracking or profile links.
Set value
Use Set value for static text, fixed links, or simple merge field output. This is the quickest way to declare a reusable piece of text or a URL that might need to change between campaigns.
True or false (Conditional logic)
Use True or false when you want a variable’s output to change depending on conditions—like recipient data, presence of a field, or grouped logic. The logic builder supports simple or complex rules with and/or grouping.
Typical uses: personalising greetings, toggling a disclaimer, or defaulting to fallback content if a field is missing.
Lookup
Use Lookup to map specific field values to outputs. For example, display a different logo, legal footer, or CTA depending on the recipient’s region, customer segment, or campaign type.
Using variables in your email design
Once created, your variables are available throughout the email builder and HTML code view. Click the Merge fields button to insert variables (they appear in purple, at the top of the list).
Variables can be used anywhere you’d use a merge field. For example: {{var.BrandAsset}} or {{var.Salutation}}.
Merge field helpers
For more advanced logic, you can use our merge field helpers—tools that extend what you can do with merge fields inside your email templates. Helpers let you apply conditional logic, display or hide content, and even iterate over lists of data.
For example, {{#if}} and {{else}} let you control whether content is shown depending on a boolean field's (or variable's) value. {{#each}} is used for looping through arrays, so you can easily list out items such as product names or recipients if they are in an array. Helpers also support special context variables like @index and @last, so you can format lists cleanly—for instance, omitting the final comma in a series.
These helpers are especially useful when you need to introduce complex branching, or work with lists and arrays, beyond the no-code variables interface. They’re currently only supported in channel-based nodes, such as email bodies.
If you want to explore what’s possible with merge field helpers—including syntax, advanced examples, and key considerations—see our full guide: Read more about merge field helpers.
Conditional content blocks (for HTML users)
To show or hide designed content in your email based on a True or false variable, wrap the section in an {{#if}} block:
{{#if var.ShowPromoBanner}}
<img src="https://cdn.example.com/promo-banner.png" style="width:100%;" alt="Exclusive Offer">
{{else}}
<img src="https://cdn.example.com/default-banner.png" style="width:100%;" alt="Welcome">
{{/if}}
You can use {{#if}} to control when a specific design, image, or Saved Block appears — without duplicating your email template. Simply use merge field helpers to place your designed content inside the block.
Generate email unsubscribe link node
The Generate email unsubscribe link action creates a single merge field that contains all of the tracking keys from an Email unsubscribe trigger node.
This merge field can be used to add an unsubscribe link to the body of any email messages that require unsubscribe support.
Unsubscribe flow
The unsubscribe flow you want to use is selected by choosing an option from the Unsubscribe flow drop-down list.
Selecting an option populates the node with the tracking key values from the selected unsubscribe flow.
Map tracking keys
Map these keys to the matching values from your custom record system by entering a value in the corresponding row.
To use the link in your email, simply copy the merge field from this node and use it as the URL for the Unsubscribe keyword in your email body.
When a recipient chooses to unsubscribe, they’ll be asked to confirm, and if they choose to proceed the records you’ve chosen in your unsubscribe flow will be updated in your system of record.
Email unsubscribe trigger node
The Email unsubscribe trigger node is used to start a Pendula flow when a recipient clicks an unsubscribe link in an email.
Tracking keys
The information contained in the link is defined by adding tracking keys in the Settings tab.
You can enter up to 10 tracking keys to help you identify who requested the unsubscribe, and the email that triggered the request.
For example, a ContactID is often used to identify the CRM record that matches the recipient.
These values become available to the Generate email unsubscribe link node, which creates the link you add to emails that require unsubscribe support.
The values are also available as merge fields in subsequent nodes in the flow, so you can update the values in your system of record to process the request.
Landing page
When a recipient clicks an unsubscribe link within the body of the email, they are taken to a landing page where they can confirm the request to unsubscribe. This prevents the recipient from being accidentally unsubscribed if they clicked the link by mistake.
If the recipient chooses to confirm this action, a confirmation page is displayed to confirm that the unsubscribe request has been actioned.
The text for these pages can be customised on the Landing page tab.
To update the text, enter the desired changes then click Save.
You can review how the changes will look to the recipient by clicking the Preview landing pages link.
After you have configured your trigger node, add the nodes you need to update your customer records, and activate the flow. The values in your Email unsubscribe trigger node are now available to use in the Generate email unsubscribe link node, in any email flows that require unsubscribe links.
You can create as many unsubscribe flows as you need to support different brands, campaigns or territories.
How to process email unsubscribe requests
Processing email unsubscribe requests in a timely manner is essential to complying with marketing regulations and maintaining a good sender reputation score.
Pendula’s powerful unsubscribe features make it easy to process these requests. Whether you’re working with a single brand, or multiple brands across different regions, the ability to support more than one unsubscribe flow means you can quickly configure our system to match your unsubscribe needs.
Single brand example
To manage unsubscribe requests for a single brand, simply create one Unsubscribe flow using our Email unsubscribe trigger.
This flow will handle all of your email unsubscribe requests, confirm the request with the customer, and update the customer record in your system as soon as an unsubscribe request comes in.
You can reference this single flow in as many email campaigns as you need, through the Generate email unsubscribe link action.
Unsubscribe links can contain all of the information you need to identify
- who made the unsubscribe request
- which email they were looking at when they made the request
- which email flow the email was sent from
and any other information you need to track the success of your email campaigns.
Multi brand example
If you’re operating with multiple brands, or in multiple regions, you can set up multiple unsubscribe flows to handle brand and regional variations, and even to update different CRMs.
When you create your email flow, you can quickly select the appropriate unsubscribe flow for the campaign from the drop-down list in the Generate email unsubscribe link action.
Use flow tags to manage the different flows and regions, so you can quickly identify and update flows as required if the unsubscribe requirements for a particular region change.
Designing emails: Use HTML code
In Pendula, there are two primary methods for designing emails within the Outbound email node: building from scratch using an email builder with a drag-and-drop interface or using custom HTML code.
Using your own HTML is a great option if you’ve already designed your email in another platform or development environment and want to bring it directly into Pendula. If you're looking to make visual edits within Pendula, we recommend building from scratch using the email builder instead.
In both cases, your email design can be saved as a reusable template across flows by saving the node.
Getting started
To use your own HTML:
- In the Design tab of the Outbound email node, choose Use HTML code.
- You’ll be taken to the HTML editor view.
You can now either:
- Upload a .html file by dragging and dropping it into the upload area
- Or click Paste HTML instead to enter your code directly
Once HTML is provided, you’ll see a live preview of the email on the left, and the editable code on the right.
To return to the design options screen (where you can choose between Build from scratch or Use HTML code), click the Email design breadcrumb at the top of the panel. If a design is already present, you’ll be prompted to confirm before discarding your current HTML. This action cannot be undone.
Editing your HTML
The code editor allows you to:
- Edit your HTML directly within Pendula
- Use Find and Replace to quickly update content
- See changes reflected instantly in the preview panel
- Use Export HTML to download the latest version of your design
If you’re planning to include personalised data like customer names or dates, merge fields can be added directly into your HTML. You can reference available merge fields under the Merge fields tab, and quickly insert them using the Merge field popup.
Best practices for HTML emails
Different email clients render HTML differently, which can impact how your email appears in a recipient’s inbox. To improve compatibility:
- Use inline styles rather than external stylesheets
- Test your email on common clients (like Outlook, Gmail, Apple Mail)
- Avoid background images or complex layouts unless thoroughly tested
For more guidance, we recommend reading HTML email design (Litmus).
Saving and reusing your HTML email
Once you're happy with your design:
- Click Save in the node panel to save the email design and node configuration
- Click the 'Add to Saved nodes' button to save as a template
- Your node will now be available as a reusable node if saved via the toolbar
How CC and BCC work in outbound email
Pendula supports CC (carbon copy) and BCC (blind carbon copy) recipients in outbound emails, allowing you to include additional recipients for transparency or archiving purposes. This article outlines how CC and BCC function within Pendula, including key considerations and limitations.
How CC and BCC works in Pendula
When configuring an outbound email in Pendula, you can specify CC and BCC recipients alongside the primary recipient (To).
- CC and BCC recipients receive an identical copy of the email sent to the primary recipient.
- The email address(es) of primary and CC recipients are visible to all recipients.
- The email address(es) of BCC recipients are not visible to any recipient.
CC and BCC functionality follows standard email behaviour, ensuring additional recipients receive identical email content while maintaining their intended visibility.
Recipients can be added through merge fields or by typing the email address(es).
- Use
stringfor one or more email addresses in a comma separated format (e.g.email1@example.com,email2@example.com), or for merge fields that resolve to a single email or a CSV string of multiple emails. - Use
fieldfor merge fields that contain an array of email addresses in your payload. (e.g."emails":["email1@example.com", "email2@example.com"])
Key considerations
BCC for archiving & compliance
BCC is commonly used to retain copies of emails for archiving or compliance purposes. In this case:
- The BCC email is an exact copy of the original message.
- BCC email addresses are not included in the email headers, maintaining confidentiality.
- Some email providers automatically track opens and clicks for BCC emails, which may impact engagement metrics (expanded on further below).
No individualised event tracking for To/CC/BCC recipients
When an email is sent to a single recipient, events like opened, clicked or bounced are generated and can be matched to that recipient, as there is a 1:1 relationship between the recipient and the events.
When CC and BCC recipients are added, additional events are generated, but there is no method to match any of the events back to the recipients, as these events do not contain information about which recipient generated them.
❌ You cannot see which specific recipient (To, CC, or BCC) opened or clicked the email.
❌ A bounce for any recipient (To, CC, or BCC) is recorded as a general bounce and is not tied to a specific recipient.
Example Scenario:
If you send an email to:
- To: alice@example.com
- CC: bob@example.com
- BCC: charlie@example.com
And charlie@example.com bounces, the email will be marked as bounced, and the rejected outcome path (if enabled) will be followed—even if Alice and Bob successfully received the email.
Bounce handling for BCC recipients
If the primary recipient email address bounces, the other recipients will still receive a copy of the email.
If a BCC or CC recipient's email address bounces, email providers may apply bounce handling rules. In Pendula:
- Bounces are not tied to specific recipients—a single bounce can trigger the rejection path, even if other recipients received the email.
- BCC bounces are treated the same as To and CC bounces (i.e., no differentiation in event tracking).
- Some email providers may suspend sending if a BCC address repeatedly bounces.
- To avoid deliverability issues, we recommend monitoring your BCC inboxes and ensuring your BCC addresses are valid.
Best practices for using CC and BCC
To get the most out of CC/BCC functionality, follow these guidelines:
✅ Use CC for visibility: Ideal when a recipient needs to be aware of an email but does not need to act.
✅ Use BCC for archiving: Helps maintain records without exposing email addresses.
✅ Verify and monitor BCC addresses and inboxes: Invalid addresses could affect overall deliverability.
✅ Consider limitations when designing flows: Since CC/BCC events are not separately tracked, avoid using them in scenarios where recipient-level tracking is required.
✅ Avoid excessive CC/BCC recipients: Some email providers limit the number of additional recipients per message.
Troubleshooting Email Activity
By effectively understanding email-related issues you can ensure that your flow designs deliver a consistent experience for recipients.
This article outlines all email activity events, possible email-channel specific failures, and other generic failures you may encounter.
Understanding email activity
Each email sent through Pendula generates activity that lets you track its progress from start to finish. These activities provide valuable insights into email behaviour, such as delivery confirmation, open events, or reasons for failure.
Email activity events
-
Action started: The email node has started. It contains information about the node, its configuration, and inputs.
-
Message queued: The email has been queued for handing to the gateway. Viewing this activity will show rich details, such as the HTML of the email, sender and recipient, and optionally attachment filenames.
-
Message passed to gateway: The email has been handed to the gateway for delivery.
-
Message delivered: The email has been confirmed as delivered to the recipient.
-
Message opened: The email has been opened by the recipient.
-
Message clicked: A link in the email has been clicked. Subsequent clicks are also recorded.
-
Message rejected: The email was rejected by the gateway. Possible reasons include incorrect tenant setup.
-
Message failed: The email failed to be delivered. This occurs when the gateway attempts delivery but encounters an error. Possible reasons include invalid email address, spam filtering, full mailbox, unsubscribed/blocked, attachment size exceeded, or a bounced email.
-
Message sent: The email has been sent from the gateway to the recipient.
-
Message validation failed: The email was rejected due to an invalid format, such as a missing or incorrectly formatted email address.
-
Action ended: The email node has ended with either a 'success' or 'failure' result.
Email channel-specific failure messages
-
Invalid email address: The email address format is incorrect or missing.
-
Invalid domain: The domain in the email address does not exist or is unreachable.
-
Invalid content: The email content does not comply with acceptable standards.
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Recipient’s mailbox full: The recipient's mailbox is full and cannot accept new emails.
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Recipient’s mailbox unavailable: The recipient's mailbox is temporarily unavailable.
-
Content too large for recipient: The combined size of the email and its attachments exceeds the recipient’s limit.
-
Email transaction failed: A failure occurred during the email transaction process.
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Email was cancelled: The email sending process was cancelled before delivery.
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Expired (end of retry period): The gateway stopped retrying to send the email after the retry period ended.
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Unauthorized to send to recipient: The sender does not have permission to send an email to the recipient.
-
Unable to connect to email server: The email server could not be reached for delivery.
-
Email has been blocked: The email was blocked due to spam or other restrictions.
-
Expired, email not processed: The email expired before it could be processed or sent.
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Bad email sender address: The sender's email address is invalid.
-
Email address does not exist: The specified email address does not exist.
-
Attachment(s) rejected: One or more attachments were rejected and could not be processed.
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Recipient had unsubscribed: The recipient has unsubscribed and cannot receive emails.
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Rejected: The email was rejected during processing.
Other and generic failures
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In error: An unspecified error occurred during the email delivery process.
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Could not render template: The email template could not be processed for rendering.
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Could not render document: A document attached to the email could not be rendered.
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Could not retrieve document: A document attachment could not be retrieved from its source.
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Input data too large: The data provided for the email exceeds acceptable limits.
-
Bad carrier configuration: Issues with carrier configuration prevented email submission.
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Could not submit to carrier: The email could not be sent to the carrier for delivery.
-
Missing recipient contact point: The recipient's contact point is missing.
-
No suitable carrier configured: No suitable carrier is configured to handle the message.
-
Could not collect statuses from carrier: The gateway could not collect delivery statuses from the carrier.
-
Fail to deliver: A generic failure indicating the email was not successfully delivered.
By understanding these activities and their associated failure types, you can efficiently troubleshoot issues and ensure optimal email delivery.
For additional guidance, you may find these related articles helpful:
To understand how these troubleshooting tips align with activity, see What is Activity.
Working with Email
Effective email communication is essential for engaging customers and achieving business goals. This article covers best practices for writing and sending outbound emails, emphasising the use of Pendula for personalisation, design, testing, and security.
General guidelines for writing emails
- Keep subject lines concise and relevant, and use action-oriented language to encourage recipients to open the email. Avoid using all caps or excessive punctuation, which can trigger spam filters
- Focus on delivering one main message or call to action per email. Use short paragraphs, bullet points, and clear headings to make the content easy to read and understand.
- Maintain a friendly yet professional tone. Avoid using jargon or overly complex language. Tailor the tone to match your brand's voice while ensuring it resonates with your audience.
- Include a clear and conspicuous unsubscribe link in every email and honour opt-out requests promptly, adhering to legal requirements where applicable, such as the five working days timeframe in Australia. Ensure that your email header information, including the "From" and "Reply-To" addresses, is accurate and not misleading.
Personalisation with merge fields
Using merge fields in emails allows for dynamic personalisation, making messages feel more relevant and engaging to each recipient. Merge fields automatically insert specific data from your database into your email templates, such as names, order numbers, or other details.
Hello {{FirstName}},
This is a reminder for your appointment on {{AppointmentDate}} at {{AppointmentTime}}.
For more details, see Working with merge fields and Designing emails with Outbound Email node
Using the email builder
In Pendula, there are two primary methods for designing emails within the Outbound Email Node: building from scratch using an email builder with a drag-and-drop interface or utilising custom HTML code. While custom HTML offers flexibility, it may cause visual discrepancies across different email clients. For instance, background images in custom HTML may not render correctly in Outlook, which defaults to a white background unless otherwise configured. To ensure visual consistency, we recommend using Pendula's email builder.
For more details, see Outbound Email Node and Designing emails with Outbound Email node
Optimising email campaigns with A/B Testing
A/B testing is a powerful method for optimising your email campaigns by comparing different versions to see which performs better. In Pendula, you can use the Criteria Filter to implement A/B testing.
The example below demonstrates the use of a Criteria Filter in an A/B testing scenario, initiated by a form submission. The Criteria Filter divides customers into two groups based on predefined criteria. Customers who meet the criteria for Group A receive Email A. Conversely, those who do not meet the criteria for Group A and fall into Group B receive Email B.
This setup allows for a direct comparison between different marketing approaches. By analysing the results from both groups, you can determine which email version is more effective in achieving your goals, such as higher open rates or conversion rates.
For a detailed guide, see Criteria Filter and Criteria Split
Ensuring email delivery coverage
Email delivery events/activity provides critical insights into the performance of your email communications. Key events include clicks, opens, deliveries, and bounces (with soft bounces indicating temporary issues and hard bounces indicating permanent ones).
In Pendula, you can view individual email activities when viewing Experience details. You can also set up Activity Sync to sync these events to another system of your choice.
In Pendula, the "Outcomes" tab in the Outbound Email Node allows you to configure the workflow path based on these events. The "Sent" path is followed if no failure is detected within the default 10-minute wait time or if a link within the email is clicked. The "Rejected" path is followed if a failure occurs within the wait time and can be toggled on in the node settings.
Merge fields in the subsequent nodes help track and personalise email delivery outcomes. The Outcome field indicates whether the email was successfully delivered (success) or failed (failure), and the Outcome Reason field provides specific details (e.g., opened, failed: [reason], rejected).
By configuring these outcomes and using merge fields, you ensure comprehensive email delivery coverage, effectively managing both successful deliveries and failures.
For more details, see Outbound Email Node and Troubleshooting Email Activity
Email security
Ensuring email security with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC is essential for preventing spoofing and phishing attacks. SPF verifies that incoming mail comes from authorised hosts, DKIM uses cryptographic signatures to ensure email integrity, and DMARC instructs mail servers on handling emails that fail SPF or DKIM checks.
Using a custom domain allows you to configure these records, enhancing your email credibility and deliverability. With Pendula, SPF is pre-configured, DKIM involves adding CNAME records to your DNS, and DMARC requires setting up a TXT record for additional security and reporting.
For more information, see Setting up Custom Domains for secure email delivery using Pendula
Outbound email
The outbound email node sends a single email with optional attachments. There are outcomes for 'sent' and optionally 'rejected', allowing you to continue an experience even if there is a sending failure or bounce. You can learn more about this in the outcomes section below.
Configuring the action
Sender details
- Sender name: The name that appears to recipients, identifying the sender of the message.
- From address: The email address that appears as the sender when recipients receive the email. The 'From address' must be a verified email address, or from a verified domain.
- Reply-to address (optional): The email address that will receive replies from recipients. This can differ from the From address. If not set, replies will be sent to the From address by default.
Contact Support to set up a custom From address.
Email details
- Recipient: The individual who will receive the email. Only one individual email address is supported. Merge fields may be referenced here.
- CC address and BCC address (optional): Learn more about CC and BCC here
- Email subject: A brief description or summary that conveys the purpose or content of the email to the recipient. Merge fields may be referenced here.
Designing email
Design your email choosing from two options. Email message bodies are limited to a maximum of 255KB, and will be rejected if the limit is exceeded.
Build from scratch
Use the email builder to design your email. This tool allows you to edit, drag, and drop content into the email canvas. Learn more about designing with Build from scratch here
Use HTML code
If you prefer to use custom HTML code, select the HTML option and paste your code into the text field. You can preview the template before saving the node. Learn more about designing with Use HTML code here
Export HTML
After designing an email, the HTML can be exported (downloaded) easily by clicking the 'Export HTML' button:
Variables
The Variables tab lets you define custom variables for your outbound email node—without writing code or modifying your template. Use variables to manage dynamic content, conditional logic, and values like links, button text, or region-specific footers. Reference variables anywhere in your email design using the builder or HTML mode.
To learn more, including available variable types, best practices, and advanced examples—see our full guide:
Using variables in Outbound Email nodes
Attachments
Uploading attachments
Use the attachments tab to manage attachments for an outbound email. This tab allows you to upload files from your local machine as attachments, and allows you to view (download) existing attachments; as well as delete them.
You can upload as many attachments as you like, however, the email design and attachment size combined must be less than 10MB to send successfully. As email size can change depending on merge fields used, you must take this into account when designing an email with attachments.
We check attachments before uploading successfully. The cases where a file will not be uploaded successfully include:
- File size too large. You must upload files less than 10MB.
- File type not supported. We support TXT, HTML, ICS, JPEG, PNG, GIF, WebM, MP4, MPEG, PDF, DOC, DOCX, XLS, and XLSX.
- File name taken. Please rename your file and upload again, or delete the existing file.
- Server unavailable. Please contact support.
Attachment indicator
On the flow canvas, outbound email nodes that have attachments are denoted by a circular blue paperclip badge on the node icon:
In the case that you finish designing your flow that has outbound email nodes with attachments, try to activate the flow, and are presented with this message:
- The following attachments are unavailable and can't be accessed...
You will need to either delete the listed attachments, or upload them again to proceed and activate the flow.
Outcomes
The outbound email node can send recipients down different flow paths based on email delivery; we call these outcomes, and you can manage these on the Outcomes tab.
Sent
The outbound email node waits for failures for 10 minutes before a 'sent' outcome is determined. This wait time is configurable, and exists to cater for the inconsistencies in email client failure / delivery reporting.
If a link within the email is clicked by a recipient, a 'sent' outcome is determined immediately.
The experience will continue on this path if no failure notifications are received within the default wait time of 10 minutes, or immediately if a link is clicked. A link clicked email event is confirmation that the email was sent successfully.
Wait time configuration for sent path
This configurable wait time exists to monitor for any sending failures that may occur after the email has been sent to a carrier for delivery. You can change the wait time by clicking on the pencil icon. When edited, the 'Rejected' wait time will be synced too.
For example, if no sending failures occur within the wait time, the experience will continue down the 'Sent' path. If a link within the email is clicked during this wait time, the experience will continue the experience down the 'Sent path'.
Configuring the wait frame for Soft Bounces
Soft bounces occur when an email cannot be delivered temporarily, often due to a full inbox or server issues. To cater for soft bounces, we recommend setting the wait time to 960 minutes (16 hours) within Pendula. This gives the carrier enough time to try sending the email again after a soft bounce, and progress an experience based on the final delivery status (Sent or Rejected). Keep in mind that if a recipient clicks a link within the email, the process advances along the 'Sent' path immediately.
Rejected path
The experience will either end or continue on this path (depending on its toggle settings) if a sending failure has occurred within the default wait time of 10 minutes.
If a sending failure occurs, a 'rejected' outcome is determined, and you can choose to continue the experience down the 'rejected' path; if configured.
When toggled off, the experience will end and exit the flow.
When toggled on, the Rejected path will be visible on the canvas, where you can further configure the experience on this path. You can refer to Merge fields section below to personalise experiences continuing on this path.
Wait time configuration for reject path
This configurable wait time exists to monitor for any sending failures that may occur after the email has been sent to a carrier for delivery. You can change the wait time by clicking on the pencil icon. When edited, the 'Sent' wait time will be synced too.
For example, if a sending failure occurs within the default 10 minute wait time, the experience will continue down the 'Rejected' path.
Merge field explorer
In later nodes, when viewing the available merge fields for the Conversation node in merge field explorer you can expect to see the below.
Only one outcomeReason will be displayed. For example, if your email continues on the 'Sent' path, you will see either "opened" or "success-timeout", not a combination of these outcomes.
| Mergefield name | Description | Possible outputs | Definition and examples |
| outcome | The final email delivery status (string) | success |
The message was sent to the carrier for delivery, and no failure notifications were received during the wait time period, OR the email was opened. The experience will continue on the 'Sent' path. |
failure |
The message failed to be sent. See outcomeReason (below) for possible reasons. The experience will continue along the Rejected path (if configured) or exit the flow. |
||
| outcomeReason | The reason for a message delivery (string) | opened |
The email has been opened by the recipient. Please note different email clients and devices handle what is considered an 'opened' email differently. The experience will continue on the 'Sent' path, and skip the wait time. |
failed: [reason] |
The carrier has accepted the email message, but encountered an error while sending it to the recipient. The experience will continue along the Rejected path (if configured) or exit the flow. |
||
failed-normalization |
The recipient's email is invalid. Ensure it is present and in the correct email format. The experience will continue along the Rejected path (if configured) or exit the flow. | ||
other-error |
Another error was found while sending the email message to the recipient. The experience will continue along the Rejected path (if configured) or exit the flow. | ||
rejected |
The carrier has rejected the email. The experience will continue along the Rejected path (if configured) or exit the flow. | ||
success-timeout |
The email message was sent to a carrier for delivery, and no failure notifications were received during the wait time. The experience will continue on the 'Sent' path. | ||
validation-error |
An invalid value was found in the node. Ensure your flow error warnings have been addressed. The experience will continue along the Rejected path (if configured) or exit the flow. |
Designing emails: Build from scratch
In Pendula, there are two primary methods for designing emails within the Outbound email node: building from scratch using an email builder with a drag-and-drop interface or using custom HTML code.
Building from scratch is ideal if you want to visually design and edit your email directly in Pendula using a simple drag-and-drop interface. If you already have HTML created in another platform, you can instead use your own HTML code.
In both cases, your email design can be saved as a reusable template across flows by saving the node.
Understanding the Interface
The design panel is organised into several sections: Content, Blocks, Body, Images, and Upload. Each section allows you to add and customise different elements to create a visually appealing and functional email.
To move content or a row, hover over the item to reveal the pan icon. Click and drag the item to its new desired location.
To redo or undo an action, or to preview the email on different screen resolutions, use the icons located above the email design canvas; just beneath the page header.
You can also utilise merge fields to dynamically insert personalised data, such as the recipient's first name, based on the nodes in the flow. This is ideal for personalising emails to increase engagement and relevance.
Once you are satisfied with your email design, click on the Save icon to save your changes.
You need to save the node itself to make sure that the design is saved. Further, you also need to save the Flow to make sure the template is saved.
To delete a content block, select the item on the canvas and click the bin icon to remove it.
Depending on the content block, additional actions may be available. For example, text blocks might include options for bold, italics, and other text formatting features.
Choose your styles
When designing your email in Pendula, the Body settings allow you to customise the overall appearance of your email.
- Text Color and Background Color: Adjust the colours to match your brand’s aesthetic.
- Content Width: Set the width of the email content, with the default being 500px.
- Content Alignment: Align your content to the Centre or Left as per your design preference.
- Font Family: Choose from a set list of fonts, with Arial being the default. Note that some fonts may not be supported by all email providers or browsers. If your chosen font isn’t supported, the closest web-safe font is displayed as a fallback.
- Font Weight: Select between Regular and Bold font weights.
- Preheader Text: Under email settings, you can set the Preheader Text, which is the short summary text that follows the subject line when viewing an email from the inbox. Ensure the preheader text is concise and engaging, typically around 40-50 characters.
- Links: Under links, customise the appearance, including their Color and whether they are Underlined.
By configuring these settings, you can ensure that your email design is visually consistent and aligns with your brand identity.
Adding Blocks
Blocks allows the addition of pre-made columns or rows, enabling you to structure your email layout efficiently. Here’s how you can use and customize blocks:
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Select a Pre-made Block:
- Choose from a variety of pre-made blocks that best suit your layout needs.
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Customise Row and Column Properties:
- Upon selecting a block, you can further customise its properties.
- Under Columns, you can determine the number of columns to include in a row and its layout.
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Column Properties:
- Background Color: Set a specific background color for each column.
- Padding: Adjust the padding to control the spacing within each column. You can toggle More options to add unique values to each side.
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Border: Customise the border settings for each column. You can toggle More options to add unique values to each side.
- Border Type
- Border Color
- Border Width
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Row Properties:
- Background Color: Set the overall background color for the row.
- Content Background Color: Specify a background color for the content within the row.
- Background Image: Choose a background image via stock options, upload your own, or provide a URL.
- Padding: Adjust the padding to control the spacing around the row’s content. You can toggle More options to add unique values to each side.
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Responsive Design:
- Hide on Desktop: Toggle whether a row should be hidden on desktop devices.
- Mobile Settings: Choose whether the row should be hidden on mobile or if the columns should not stack (stacking is the default behaviour).
Switch between the desktop and mobile tabs to make respective changes for each device type.
Adding Content
Content allows the addition of columns, HTML, and other visual elements such as text, buttons, dividers, and images. Here’s how you can add and customise content in your email:
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- Similar to blocks, columns can be added with customisable properties.
- Heading Types: Choose from H1 to H4.
- Color: Customise the text color.
- Font Family: Use the global font set in the body or choose a different font.
- Font Weight: Set the font weight (regular, bold, etc.).
- Font Size: Default size is 14px, but it can be adjusted.
- Text Alignment: Align the text to the centre, left, right, or justify.
- Line Height: Default is 140%, adjustable.
- Container Padding: Adjust the padding around the heading, with a default setting of 10px. Toggle More options for unique padding values for each side.
- Hide on Desktop/Mobile: Use the tabs to set visibility options, ensuring the image is displayed or hidden on specific devices.
- Similar customisation options as headings.
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You will not find smart text on the content panel, but you can select
the text and use tools that appear on top of the text.
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Pendula supports multiple methods for adding images to your email:
- Upload your own: Drag and drop your files into the upload zone or select Upload image.
- Previously uploaded images: When you upload an image, we save that file in Pendula. Access previously uploaded images by selecting More images > Uploads.
- Image URL: Replace the placeholder image URL with your desired image URL.
- Stock Images: Choose from millions of stock images licensed under Creative Commons Zero by selecting More images > Stock images.
- Auto-Width toggle: Automatically adjusts the width of the image to fit the content area.
- Alignment: Set the image alignment to left, right, center, or justify.
- Alternate text: Provide alternate text for accessibility.
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Under Actions
- Link Settings: Add a URL to make the image clickable.
- Target Settings: Specify how the link should open (e.g., in a new tab).
- Action Options: Choose actions like opening a website, sending an email, or calling a phone number.
- Container Padding: Adjust the padding around the image, with a default setting of 10px. Toggle More options for unique padding values for each side.
- Hide on Desktop/Mobile: Use the tabs to set visibility options, ensuring the image is displayed or hidden on specific devices.
Outside of the content pane, you can also insert images by Clicking on Upload (Allows importing your own images via upload or URL.) Clicking on Images (Allows choosing images from a library of free-to-use images under Creative Commons Zero.)
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- Set a link for the button and choose the target.
- Select actions such as opening a website, sending an email, or calling a phone number.
- Text Color: Customise the button text color.
- Background Color: Set the button background color.
- Auto-Width Toggle: Enable or disable auto-width for the button.
- Font Family: Use the global font set in the body or choose a different font.
- Font Weight: Set the font weight (regular, bold, etc.).
- Font Size: Default size is 14px, but it can be adjusted.
- Alignment: Align the button left, right, centre, or justify.
- Line Height: Default is 120%, adjustable.
- Padding: Customise padding with more options toggle for unique values on each side.
- Border Settings: Adjust border type (solid, dashed, dotted), color, and width, with more options toggle for custom values.
- Rounded Border Size: Default is 4px, adjustable with more options toggle for unique values.
Visibility: Choose to hide the button on desktop or mobile by switching between the respective tabs -
The Divider element helps you create visual separation between sections of
your email.
- Line Width: Adjust using a slider.
- Line Type: Choose between solid, dotted, or dashed lines.
- Line Width: Default is 1px, but adjustable.
- Line Color: Customise the color of the divider line.
- Alignment: Align the divider left, right, centre, or justify.
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The HTML element allows you to insert custom HTML code directly into your
email.
- Custom HTML Code: Enter your custom HTML code in the provided code box.
- Container Padding: Default is 10px, with options to set unique values for each side.
- Hide on Desktop/Mobile: Use the tabs to set visibility options, ensuring the image is displayed or hidden on specific devices.
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The Menu element lets you create navigational menus within your email, providing
a structured way for recipients to access different sections or links.
Adding Menu Items:
- Click Add a new item to include a new menu item.
- Customise each item with text, URL, target, and action (e.g., open website, call, or email).
- Font Family: Use the global font set in the body or choose a different font.
- Font Weight: Adjust the font weight.
- Font Size: Customise the size of the menu text.
- Text Color: Set the color for menu text.
- Link Color: Customise the color of the links.
- Alignment: Align the menu items left, right, centre, or justify.
- Layout: Choose between a horizontal or vertical layout.
- Separator: Add a separator text between menu items.
- Padding: Adjust padding with more options toggled on by default.
Hide on Desktop/Mobile: Use the tabs to set visibility options, ensuring the image is displayed or hidden on specific devices.
Saving Blocks for re-use
Saved blocks allow you to save any block that you create and populate with content for re-use across flows. Here’s how you can save a block:
- Select a Block (Row) that you have configured.
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Select the 'Save' icon:
- Give the block a name, and any tags (optional, tags are used for finding Saved blocks later via search. Multiple tags can be separated by a comma.)
Using Saved Blocks
You can find all of your Saved blocks under the Blocks tab, beneath the layout options.
Sending test emails
Preview your email as it will appear in your inbox to verify its format and content before sending it to recipients. Simply click the Preview icon, then select "Send test email." Keep in mind that merge fields will render empty in the test email, and the email will be sent from a no-reply email address to your logged-in email address.
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<% categories.forEach(function(category) { %>
<%= partial('partial-article-list-sections', {
id: 'category-' + category.id,
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sections: category.sections,
activeCategoryId: activeCategoryId,
activeSectionId: activeSectionId,
activeArticleId: activeArticleId,
partial: partial
}) %>
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-
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-
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partial: partial
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-
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